Ammo sticking in my new M44

[MaterDei]

I bought an M44 at the Houston gun show yesterday. The bore and rifling are in good shape. The bore looks very wet but not greasy, if you know what I mean.

I fed it some Russian copper washed steel ammo and after shooting it the spent casing is VERY difficult to remove. I also tried some Bulgarian brass ammo which stuck a little bit but not nearly as much. Both types of ammo shoot fine in my 91/30.

By the time I got finished shooting it was late so I didn't have time for a thorough cleaning last night. I just did a wipe down and sprayed some windex down the barrel.

What could be causing this ammo to stick? Would cosmoline cause this? If I just cycle unfired cartridges they don't stick. Once I fire them and they have expanded some they become very sticky.

Thanks in advance for your opinions and advice.

 

[Franco2shoot]

I just read somewhere (Can't remember which board) about this same problem. Most likely cause is old cosmoline still in the chamber part. The recommendation was to clean out the area with a 20 gauge shotgun wire brush soaked in solvent and spun on the end of a rod with a drill.
KKKKFL

 

[Markbo]

Sounds like you went straight from the show to the range?

 

[MaterDei]

My range is my back yard, but yes.

 

[rangerruck]

remember, that steel ammo that you are using, has lacquer all over it, so if you heat it up by shooting fast, the lacq starts to come off the case, and slop into your chamber; then it cools , hardens, and stuff gets stuck. So clean real well, and if you have a bunch of that steel stuff left, shoot it once a minute, or between every ten brass shots.

 

[Markbo]

MD - wish I had that luxury. They frown on that in the Houston Suburbs!

My first thought was that it was not cleaned thoroughly. I never shoot any gun until I have absolutely scrubbed it clean and lubed it as necessary. No telling what cosmoline, gunk, unburnt powder, etc, etc, etc the last guy left in it - used or new.

 

[SGW42]

You didn't happen to also attend on Saturday? I was there buying a 91/30, and a nice gentleman was helping me remove the bolt and examine the bore of the example I eventually purchased.

Picked up a spam can of Bulgarian from the guy with piles of ammo. Didn't see the Russian copper-washed.

I was disappointed I didn't see more Mosins there. A dealer here, dealer there had one or two, but they were usually over priced or nicer rifles when I just wanted a shooter. There was a guy near the front (on the back of the third or fourth table from the right) who had a good selection of milsurp rifles stacked in boxes, and there was a guy in the rear who had a decent selection stored on a rack, selling other assorted milsurp bits. Eventually bought from the guy in the back.

 

[Matt-J2]

Same thing at the fun show in OshKosh on Friday night. Went with a buddy to find him a Mosin, but there wasn't many on offer. He just wanted a good condition shooter, no concerns on date, matching numbers, etc. Didn't catch any of those. Did see a few I wanted, a Tula hex receiver dated 1928, but I didn't have the cash. And that was the only vendor who had more than one Mosin at all.
There was even less 7.62x54 on offer. I did manage to finally get a sling, tool kit(missing some pieces, but I just wanted the protrusion gauge anyway) and ammo pouch for $35 though, which is what I walked in looking for, so all is well.



As for the OP, as mentioned, cleaning the cosmo out of the chamber should solve your problems.

 

[MaterDei]

SGW42, I did not go on Saturday. I got the Bulgarian at the show but already had the Russian. The Russian is from J and C Sales, online. I enjoyed the show quite a bit. I bought my M44 from a guy on the left side by the trailers. I saw the other two guys you mentioned as well. I walked out with my M44 with sling, ammo pouches, tools, etc. for a C note. It's a 1944 Izhevsk. The furniture, receiver and bluing are in real nice condition; no pitting at all.

Markbo, I lived in the subs before I moved out here to the Conroe area. I work DT so my commute is a bit long, but it's worth having the space and the quiet.

 

[lencac]

I had the same problem with a like new 91/30 I had. Seemed it was the ammo cause some ammo worked fine, others stuck. So I don't think it was the rifle.

 

[DiN_BLiX]

Is this new production wolf or surplus ammo?

 

[MaterDei]

Surplus ammo. But the ammo shoots fine in my 91/30 and only sticks a little in my friend's M44.

 

[QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW]

never had that problem with my M44 with checz, bulgarian, or russian ammo. just try deep cleaning it and that should help. maybe its the laquared casing thats sticking when warm?

 

[redactor]

I had this issue with my M44 and Polish copper-washed steel cases. Hungarian ones are lacquered, and they extract with no problems.

 

[foghornl]

Mosin-Nagants can be almost as persnickety about their ammo likes/dislikes as a .22LR.

Couple of things, though...Clean that chamber VERY WELL...20-Ga brush attached to rod chucked up in a drill with A LOT of solvent. Then use a patch or 2 with Flitz! on it to really polish it up. I wouldn't use anything more aggressive thant Flitz!, but do use some of that. My M-44 bolt is smoother that hot buttah after that